


Miss Tacoma

by tocilar



Category: Sons of Anarchy
Genre: F/M, Freindship, Tomboy, relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-07
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2017-12-22 17:15:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/915905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tocilar/pseuds/tocilar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When people are very damaged, they can often meet the world with a kind of defiance. Rae didn't want to roll into Charming with Happy but what choice did she have; he had business there and he wasn't letting her leave his site after everything that had gone down. Set prior to and during the first season.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

Tig was hands down, without a doubt, an arse man. He loved women's arses; couldn't get enough of them. If they had the right arse, the rest didn't matter; they could be too heavily made up or their breasts too small.

Croweaters knew this and knew it well. Those who wanted to scramble for Tig's attention made sure to highlight their best assets. He loved that they put it on display for him; the way they'd wear those shorts that cut off before their legs did, wore those lace thongs. He liked the way a woman could bend over and with the right set of legs that arse would look like a picture sent to him by god himself.

He preferred them with that little bit of extra meat; too skinny and their arse was too bony. No, he enjoyed being able to grab at the globes of flesh and squeeze.

Everyone knew he had odd taste, knew he was a little more out there with his kinks – fetishes, but a good arse was at the top of his list.

So, the fact that he was too busy staring at the bent over beauty outside the garage doors was no surprise to anyone. The top half of her was in the window of the car, rummaging round for something or other in the centre console.

Tig eyed the shorter than short tube skirt that was hugging her arse in all the right way. The Prospect was standing by him, rambling away about something that Tig wasn't even inclined to half-way pay attention to and he held up a greasy finger to his lips and merely pointed. "Can't you see I'm enjoying the view Sack?"

The kid went quiet – lucky for him.

The girl straightened up after a minute and Tig mourned the loss of his view when she turned to head into the office. Huffing, he turned back to his work on the latest mangled heap to roll into the garage. What he wouldn't give for it to be closing time already so he could grab some arse and have some fun.

* * *

Happy watched her. She sat on the hospital bed; hair a wreck - bits pulled and ripped out here and there, tangles bunching up sections, her make-up screamed horribly and her body trembling. The doctor said she was and probably would stay in shock for some time, told him they'd given her some light sedatives to ease her nerves. They'd shoved a prescription into his hands and a pile of clothes for her to change into and left. Happy caught the look of disgust directed right at him and prayed for the doctor to say something that would set him right off. After the past few hours, he was coiled tight and ready to strike at the first thing he could.

Without speaking, he grabbed the chair from the corner of the sterile, chilly room and placed it down in front of her.

She startled as he eased down onto it; clothes and paper in his lap as he propped his hands on either side of her. He gave her the smallest of smiles. Hazel eyes brightened slightly but the trembling didn't abate.

In all the years they'd known one another Happy had only seen her this much of a wreck once. He hadn't liked it then and he decidedly liked it even less now given the circumstances of her being here.

"Anything I can do, Rae?" he pressed. "Water?" She shook her head, eyes dropping to her lap as her arms wrapped tightly about her stomach. "How bout a pillow?" Another rebuttal. "What about a cookie?" He chuckled at his own question.

Her eyes glanced at him from beneath her lashes and he caught the barest spark of amusement in those puppies. "I'm not hungry," she murmured, "thanks though."

He nodded, pleased that she was at least speaking to him finally. Silence fell again. Happy just watched her as she tried to collect herself, steel herself against whatever war was raging inside her. He'd seen the bruises and most of her other injuries. Anyone would've been blind not to have given what state he'd found her in.

If it hadn't have been for the few connections he'd secured on the Tacoma county police department line Happy doubted he would've known anything until she'd been brought into the emergency. He'd never been quite so grateful for being called by them so late in the night to give him the time to get out there to her. Anonymous tip his ass.

Whoever had laid their hands on her had phoned it in. Arrogant pricks. They'd specifically identified the crow tattoo on her wrist to ensure the information had been passed on down to him.

It had been a message for him and they'd taken it out upon the only person he cared for more than his mother and aunt next to the club; Rae Cardiff.

One of only three women who had been a constant presence in his life. The five foot seven tattooed caramel beauty with a nasty right hook and a tomboy disposition that would make an old granny faint in fright had been there since her diaper days. Big daddy Cardiff had been a loyal Son of the Tacoma chapter since its beginning - until he'd taken a bullet to the gut in a drive by when Happy had been barely fifteen and Rae five. Despite being roughly ten years apart in age their relationship was solid.

Staring at his friend he wanted to do something, anything for her. But comfort wasn't Happy. He wasn't the same boy he'd been all those years ago. He also could bet his life on Rae not wanting to be handle too much.

He decided trying to talk a little more would be a better option. "Rae, I know they've hounded ya for hours, darlin' but if you remember anything, you gotta tell me." She didn't say anything and he sighed, pushing himself back and leaning deeper into the chair. "I can't get the fuckers if I don't-"

"I was blindfolded, Hap. I never saw their faces, like I told those cops before," she snapped, close to tears and he tilted his head back to glance at the ceiling. He knew it was pointless. She wasn't lying to the cops earlier. He'd found the blindfold still round her when he'd come upon the scene - he'd had some hope she would have caught a look before they'd got it on her.

His urge to punch or gut something had never been so vehement. Those assholes deserved to be torn apart slow and painfully but there was little he could do without names or faces to go on.

He didn't think it was the wisest of ideas though given what had happened so he settled for trying to get her to talk. "Rae, I know they'd hounded you for hours but if you remember anything, darlin', you gotta tell me." She didn't reply and he sighed, pushing himself away and leaning back into the chair. "I can't get the fuckers if I don't–"

"I was blindfolded. I never saw their faces, Hap," she snapped, close to tears and he grimaced, turning his eyes to the ceiling.

He knew it was pointless but he didn't know what else to do, he couldn't take it away but he could torture the fuckers to death but he knew she wasn't lying.

They'd left the blindfold round her. She'd panicked when he'd roused her. She'd cried and been hysterical that they'd blinded her.

Damn.

He wanted to punch something; anything.

This had just messed up all his plans. With the state Rae was in Happy wasn't so comfortable of leaving her alone, or with any of the Tacoma boys either, worried that she might do something stupid.

Glancing at her, he thought back on it. She served as bartender and stock for the Tacoma clubhouse since she'd been seventeen. She wasn't a Croweater; thankfully, he'd managed to keep his friend from straying down that path and kept her reasonably out of the hands of his boys. Once or twice a prospect had ended up in love with her but the relationships didn't and couldn't last. Happy may have played a part in them ending along the track but Rae was like his little sister and he'd protect her.

He hadn't though.

She'd been grabbed on her weekly shopping stock up or the club. He'd failed her. Protecting her heart from a guy was nothing in comparison to protecting her from the damage she'd endured last night.

Rae was a strong, good girl, for the most part - no drugs, lewd behaviour or criminal record. Happy liked keeping her clean. She was the thing he could be proud of outside of club business. She was the reason he kept the drugs out of their town.

Like most other Sons of Anarchy charters, he and Duke, Tacoma president, had a no drug tolerance.

Thinking about the club got Happy wondering about Rae's future. He didn't bring it up with her anymore.

She just muttered something about this being her only family and she wasn't leaving them. He knew their return wasn't going to be a cheerful one.

The boys wouldn't turn her away; no, they'd welcome her without hesitation. The guys lover Rae, always had since his hang around and prospecting days.

He was more worried about how mentally sound she would be given the events of tonight.

Something like sexual assault didn't go away overnight. She flinched whenever someone got near her, when he'd come barging into the room an hour ago to make sure they looked after her, he'd made to wrap his arm around her and she'd flinched. She'd never flinched near him before.

This was a mess; he needed to leave for Charming to meet up with Clay and his boys but Happy couldn't just ditch Rae when there was no one to watch her.

Kozik would watch over her but Happy got the impression Rae wouldn't want to have the enforcer hovering over her.

It wasn't like when she'd had her appendix removed.

His mother would jump at the chance to have her for a little while but given her condition Happy didn't want to put any stress on either woman.

Of course, he could always take her with him. He almost snorted aloud at the thought. The idea of taking Rae to Charming was both amusing and daunting.

Clay had a strict no females in the bar rule unless they were Croweaters during parties; prospects and hang arounds kept the bar stocked while the crew worked the garage.

Gemma might have a pink fit if he boring Rae in without prior warning but for some reason he could oddly see Clay's Old Lady and Rae getting along swimmingly.

Glancing at Rae he noticed how heavy lidded she was getting, how her trembling had subsided and decided that he'd think more on it later.

Straightening up to his full height, Happy brought a hand up to her cheek, grimacing as she flinched in reaction but didn't jerk away like she had a few hours ago.

"Rae, think it might time to get you out of this fridge and somewhere warmer, like your bed."

She nodded and he helped her down from the bed, steadying her when she collapsed against him. He wasn't going to humiliate her with a walk of shame and rather than ask, Happy scooped the girl up into his arms and told her to hold on.

The old Rae, the pre-attack Rae, would have had kicked and squealed and hit him demanding to be put down but now she buried her head into his chest and wrapped an arm about his neck, the other laying across her belly.

* * *

The Tacoma clubhouse was a bar and dorm for the members in a similar fashion to the one found in Charming, including a garage for repairs - a standard front for Sons of Anarchy; mechanics and Harley enthusiasts by normal eyes and a steady source of income for the crews.

It was a popular bar during open hours on the weekends. Who didn't want to hang with the boys in leather and party like rockstars?

A heap of the Tacoma boys, like Happy, stayed in the dorm more often than not. Happy's only other residence was his mother's and he stayed there only when need required. He didn't need to put her in harms way.

Rae had her own permanent set-up there; right opposite Happy's. She'd originally been living in a small two bedroom apartment across town with a fellow university goer but when her student loans had begun to pile up and money had become so tight, Duke had given her the dorm room at Happy's request.

Nudging open the door of her room, Happy smiled at the sight of it; film posters and magazines were everywhere, CDS and DVDs were stacked in piles beside mountains of books and a pair of old boxing gloves were tacked up over the head of the bed. Rae's room showed off what was hiding beneath the tough exterior; an intelligent young woman.

He waved her in hoping the sight of her room might give her a little more life. The slice of peace and safety make her lips curl up even the slightest.

It didn't.

Happy had called the boys to bring the truck in to collect Rae. Bones, Duke's Sgt. At Arms had understood Happy's order to ride on the back with Happy's bike. Not only did it mean someone was watching his baby but he doubted Rae would ride willingly with Bones in the cab, no matter how friendly the pair were.

Even though it was three in the morning when they ambled into the clubhouse, the entire charter was present. All the boys had been informed of the previous night's events after Happy had torn out of the place like a demon round sunset and here they were; showing their support by waiting for them.

Rae had recoiled fast when Kozik had tried to pull her into a hug. The poor enforcer had looked hurt; Happy could see it by the grim set of his jaw and felt a little bad for the guy who was trying to give comfort that was probably extremely foreign to him.

Happy barked out that it was late and everyone was to either bunk down or take a hike. The clubhouse cleared out within minutes.

Rae eased herself down onto her unmade bed with a grimace. She looked tired and stressed, dark circles under her eyes and hair still in rather bad shape.

He wanted to offer her the choice to change into something comfortable but she laid down and curled herself up into a ball only a second after he thought it.

Dropping the small bag of her jewellery and other things onto her cluttered desk, Happy ran a hand down his face, telling her to sleep as long as she needed into the day and he'd see her when she got up.

She nodded and he shut the door. This was so beyond messed up.

Kozik stood braced against the door of his room, two doors down with those massive arms crossed over a broad chest. "S'up?"

Happy shook his head. "She ain't talkin' much. Blindfolded her so she can't I.D. the mongrels and she's in pretty bad shape," he supplied without needing anymore prompting.

Kozik nodded. "Let me know if I can do anything to help." With that the tall, broad blond enforcer turned back into his dorm and shut it.

Happy knew that when it came to Rae, Kozik would take a bullet for her. There had never been anything more than a playful teasing between them over the years but Kozik would defend Rae without hesitation if things came down to drastic circumstances.

She somehow found ways to get under a man's skin. It's why Happy was stuck with her ass. Growing up together had made them close; she understood the life and knew to keep her mouth shut. Rae was the kind of girl who would make a good Old Lady – one day.

Happy trudged into his own room, kicked the door shut with his boot and collapsed onto his bed to stare up at the ceiling.

He had no choice. Happy couldn't leave her while she was in this state but he knew that if she was going to travel, riding on the back of his bike was going to be a massive no-no for her. He had a lot of shit to organize before heading out but he decided that a three o'clock phone call to Clay was grounds for getting his balls mashed in with a hammer by the Charming President's Old Lady and he definitely wanted to avoid that; at all costs.


	2. Chapter Two

Her brain woke first. Pain registered; her legs ached, the cuts on her belly stung, her abdomen was cramping violently and finding a comfortable position to sleep was a feat in itself. Every time she moved, pain shot through her and she would wake up in a cold sweat, breathing harshly and in a panic.

When her alarm blared at its usual seven o'clock wake-up, Rae groaned into the pillow. She didn't want to get up. Stretching out one throbbing limb, she hit the button on her alarm and drew the blankets tighter up round her

She had tossed and turned after Happy had left her. Moving was going to be a workout in itself; her arms trembled as she moved herself up into a sitting position. Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton, her eyes heavy crusty and her ears were ringing.

Everything hurt.

She wanted a shower. Crawling from the bed, she stood on shaky legs. Her room felt foreign. None of it felt like it was her room. The old boxing posters didn't seem like they were hers, the gloves that had once belonged to her father hanging there felt like a joke. Memories of her and Happy in the ring as kids with her father instructing them came to mind. She knew how to defend herself, knew how to point a gun and shoot, knew how to pummel a guy into the ground but it hadn't just been one guy. She couldn't remember the number of voices but she could remember those hands. Three different pairs of hands had taken hold of her.

She shuddered at the memory of it and felt her stomach rebel on her.

She barely made it into the bathroom and over the toilet before she vomited. Groaning as her throat burned, Rae flushed the toilet and shut the lid, collapsing onto it.

The bathroom was cold; the tiled numbed her feet and she shut her eyes, fighting off shivers.

Forcing herself to her feet, Rae reached over and flicked the lights and heater on, wincing as the light nearly blinded her.

She turned the shower on and sighed heavily. Stripping out of the clothes the hospital had given her was a nightmare; her arms trembled and shook as she tried to tug the shirt over her head.

Rae refused to glance into the mirror above the sink, afraid of what she was going to see.

Pulling the curtain back, she stepped into the shower shivering and wrapped her arms around her middle.

Hot water pounded down.

She liked this. Liked the numbness that settled over her body as she stood beneath the spray.

* * *

Happy had been up since five. His mind was a bundle of plans and he was determined to get them sorted before he went to check in on Rae.

His phone call with Clay had gone a lot smoother than he'd initially believed it would.

The SAMCRO president hadn't asked for details on Happy's tag along but he'd made it clear that sweetbutts and Croweaters weren't welcome. Happy had bristled at the idea. He'd managed to explain she was a Tacoma legacy and wouldn't be a hassle without losing his temper.

Clay promised they'd find a room for her. Happy had asked if he'd be able to talk with Gemma. The Old Lady was tough as nails but she still loved family and Rae was part of Happy's family.

Part of him was saying to ask for the week or so hold off but he knew Clay wouldn't give him the approval. Especially on such short notice.

Explaining the situation to Gemma was quite a tough feat. The woman prodded and asked questions and Happy did his best to answer. He wanted to know Gemma wouldn't attack Rae or treat her like a sweetbutt.

Once his call was over, Happy had to let out an uncharacteristic sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall of the clubhouse. Well that was one thing out of the way on his to-do list.

Kicking off the wall, Happy headed inside and towards the dorm rooms in the back. He knocked three times before opening the door. His eyes did a quick sweep of the room; bed was empty. He heard the shower going.

Heading for the bathroom, he knocked. "Rae?"

No response. "You alright in there baby doll?"

Yet again, no response.

Happy weighed up his choices; leave her to possibly hurt herself in some way, shape or form or bust in and drag her ass out.

He'd walked in on Rae naked twice in their years; the first when she'd been in the shower and they'd found out about her father. The second time had only been a few months back. He hadn't known she'd had a guy in there and Happy had been drunk and wanted to  _talk_. He'd kicked the guy out on his ass.

"Fuck it."

He pushed open the door and was met by a wall of steam. Happy strode in and up to the small shower, pulling the curtain back.

* * *

Rae didn't know how long she had been in the shower. She'd sunk down to the floor at some point, drawn her knees up to her chest and simply sat beneath the hot spray. It was hardly as purifying as she'd hoped, her skin still felt dirty and she couldn't fight the tears that came.

She heard the knocks but didn't answer them. She didn't want to deal with Happy. Rae knew him better than that though and sure enough the curtain was dragged back and she heard Happy swear.

Glancing side-long as he knelt down, she met his impassive expression with red eyes. Happy was the master at never giving anything away, even to her. All these years and he still managed to keep her in the dark. Those smiley faces told her what she needed to know but oddly she wanted to hear it from Happy what he really did.

Club business was club business and she wasn't going to be allowed in on it, no matter her family history or her affiliation with the club now. Leaving her in the dark meant she couldn't be used for RICO if it ever reared its ugly head.

Biting on her raw and split lip, she watched him as his eyes swept down her back and visible side. She'd made sure he hadn't been allowed to help her change last night. He hadn't needed anymore encouraging to go and beat the daylights out of something.

She knew he was taking a mental picture of each and every mark, scratch and bite. Until they healed he would hound her to clean them clean and make sure she kept them covered.

All her nice clothes were going to be useless until the scars faded down.

She flinched a little when his fingers touched the flesh round one of the nastier bite marks on her shoulder. Fucking animal had torn into her.

"They did this cause of you, didn't they Hap?" she asked after a moment.

His hand dropped away. "How long you been sitting in here, girl?"

He was deflecting. She'd his the nail on the head. After everything she'd done for the club; bailed them out and gotten rid of the sweetbutts when need be. She was, in Kozik's general observation, a little mother hen.

This was all cause of him. "I can't go out and face the guys." Happy nodded. She wrapped her arms tighter about her legs. "I just- it's horrible. Everything hurts. After everything you, Koz and the others have taught me and I couldn't prevent-"

"Doc said it'd hurt for a while. And by what you said, you couldn't have prevented it, Rae. Things happen, you got jumped, they hurt you," he interrupted. She glanced at the tiled wall in front of her. Jumped or not, she wasn't a weakling. She could successfully tackle someone Happy's size and give him a beating; could get out of a hold from Koz when he was trying to actually keep hold of her. "We run you through drills, we give you a chance. Sometimes it don't work out."

She nodded pathetically. "You hear all these stories about thing like this happening. It ends up one of two ways; dead or left terrified. If you live through it, you want to be dead. All I can see when I shut my eyes is it happening. I can still hear them, smell everything like it is happening all over again."

Silence filled the small space. Aside from the water neither of them spoke. Rae knew she was going to be battling demons for a while and that's what scared her most. She wasn't one of those girls who'd been found without a pulse. She was still here.

"I need you to pack for a road trip."

She blanched. "What?" Her head swiveled round to Happy's and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Why? What did you do?"

"Nothing. I gotta go to Charming for a few days, we'll take your sorry excuse for a ute, strap my bike to the back and drive down," Happy stated matter-of-fact.

Rae almost growled. The asshole said it in a manner stating that she had no say in the matter. "What am I gonna do in Charming?" she shot back.

Happy shrugged and she rolled her eyes. "Don't know, but you said it yourself, you can't face the boys out there so I ain't leaving ya here. Kozik will drive you insane before the end of the day."

Rae sighed dramatically. He was right. Like usual. And she had given him exactly what he wanted; she'd told him she wouldn't be able to face the boys. They'd never let up with watching her like hawks despite their intention not to do so. "When do you want me packed?"

He dropped his hand onto her shoulder. "Be ready in an hour."

"Sure thing, Hap," she whispered and waited until he had straightened up and left before finally getting up and shutting the shower off.

* * *

Trying to pack proved to be difficult. Aside from underwear and make-up she threw in sweatpants, a jacket and that was as far as she got. The jeans she'd pulled on were loose; her stomach was sore and they were better than her skinny jeans. She pulled on a henley shirt and sighed as she pushed the sleeves up.

Tugging open she shirt draw she glanced over the shirts. She pushed aside any of the showy shirts she owned, her stomach was too bruised and scratched for any of them. Sighing she grabbed the plain t-shirts and dropped them into her duffel bag. A few days could translate into a week, she knew Happy when it came to Charming and if she wanted to come home early it was a lonely fourteen hour drive back.

She'd heard stories from Kozik and occasionally Happy about the mother charter crew, meeting them for the first time though given who they were was going to be an interesting event in itself. The president's Old Lady, Gemma Morrow, was going to be a nerve racking experience. She had a reputation for being quite the vicious, strong Old Lady.

Grabbing her laptop, iPod, phone, drawing gear and two books from her desk, she stuffed them into the top of the duffel and zipped it up. Tugging on her converse, she pulled on her favourite dark brown hooded jacket and shouldered her duffel.

She drew in a deep breath, steeling herself for the upcoming trip.

Come on Rae, you can do this she told herself.

* * *

Neither spoke for the first two hours of the drive; Happy was still fuming over the fact her piece of shit ute hadn't started. He wanted to tear the vehicle to pieces and use what he could for spare parts and find her a better ute. She threatened to shot his nuts off if he touched her baby.

He'd then started grumbling about bloody women and attaching themselves to things.

It was a relief when the moments occurred. Things were going to be okay. Happy wasn't going to treat her like some fragile little china doll. He was going to treat her like he always did and she took some comfort in that. Talking wasn't Happy's strong suit and Rae took what she could whenever those moments of a young Happy shone through the hard exterior of the man sitting opposite her.

She was curled up with her feet on the dash, headphones in to tune out Happy's hip hop music playing over the radio and completely engrossed in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Two hours down of the fourteen hour drive and Rae knew Happy had no intention of stopping every two hours. By round the four hour mark, her bladder was screaming at her to get him to stop.

"Hey Hap, can we stop for a break soon? My bladder is gonna burst at this rate." She pulled her headphones out and saw him just nod.

She smiled and shut her book; glad for when he pulled into the rest stop that thankfully had a McDonalds. "Where you going?" he grunted out when she headed in its direction.

"Bathroom, I'd rather use the McDonalds bathrooms than a dingy gas station one plus. Cheer up Happy Meal and I'll bring you back a toy," she teased lightly and saw his eyebrows knit over his glasses and grinned evilly. He hated the nickname Happy Meal. She got that he was, in some way that was unique to Happy, worried but she had a better chance of the McDonalds bathrooms being somewhat cleaner than the gas station bathroom.

* * *

Happy hated the nickname but he let it slide. She needed to joke round a little, needed to forget last night and be the girl he knew she was. Rae was strong but this wasn't the same as some high school bully or little punk breaking her heart. He'd seen enough of her crime shows and all that bull to know that every woman reacted different to the kinds of abuse they suffered.

When he'd found her last night and she'd panicked on him, Happy had contemplated knocking her out again to save her injuring herself further.

This morning in the bathroom he'd been worried that she'd been closing in on him; pushing him out. He was glad there hadn't been much in the way of arguments towards the trip to Charming.

Watching as she headed off, Happy shook his head and chuckled before heading to the gas pump.

As he leaned back into the side of the ute, Happy took in the occupants of the rest stop. It was a popular spot. He always passed it on by when he was heading down to Charming; normally he stopped at smaller places wanting to deal with as little people as possible.

Children were screaming as they raced round the play area of the McDonalds, people pulled up and drove off while he saw a number of young punks eyeing his bike off from where they all sat on dirt bikes.

"Crotch rocket pieces of crap," he muttered, hanging the handle back up on the pump and heading into the station to pay. As he wandered into the station he eyed off the aisles of junk food and felt his stomach grumble.

He decided McDonalds would be better than some chocolate and chips in the car. Paying for the gas, he relocated the ute and pulled it into one of the available spaces in front of the McDonalds. Climbing out he made sure to lock it up before heading into the joint.

* * *

Rae thought it looked absolutely ridiculous seeing Happy standing within a McDonalds line waiting to order food. And it cheered her up a little. Her stomach was growling at her for sustenance. Walking into the joint had been a little intimidating until she clued in to the fact not a soul was bothering to spare her a glance.

Her nerves were improving. In the middle of the day, in a McDonalds joint there was hardly much reason to be unnerved; especially with Happy acting all pit-bull and defensive.

She slunk up alongside him and leaned into his side. "What are we having?" she asked, smiling as people leaned away from them.

"Food," he grunted.

Rae didn't pay them much worry. It was more fun to watch Happy sneer at the kids who were openly guffawing at him. She wrapped her arms around one of his. "So," she began.

"Club business," he muttered.

She nodded. "Thought so but what I wanted to ask was, what am I gonna be doing while we're in Charming?"

He glanced down at her as they stepped forward in the line. After a moment he glanced back up and shrugged. "Don't know. Read, draw, sit back and relax your ass."

The woman in front gave him a filthy look over her shoulder and Rae scrunched her nose up. "Fuck Hap, that sounds boring." Another dirty look and Rae elbowed Happy lightly in the side.

"Fucking boring is better than getting your ass chewed off by me, Clay or Gemma," he remarked, grinning when the woman scuttled off as quickly as she could when her meal was all sorted and paid for.

The poor kid standing behind the counter looked absolutely terrified of Happy. She let go of him and put her order in before Happy spoke and didn't the kid jump at his voice. Rae should've felt bad but over the years she had discovered she got a kick out of letting Happy's presence simply freak the daylights out of people.

They took the booth right in view of her ute and his bike. He watched his bike like a hawk as he shoveled his food down. As she watched him, Rae couldn't help but be grateful to him for bringing her along on this trip. He hadn't needed to; he could've always left her behind in Tacoma. She owed him, even more than she already did. Happy had been her big brother for a long time now and all she'd been was a nuisance.

"Hey Hap." He glanced at her. "Thank you."


	3. Chapter 3

Rae hated motels, especially the middle of nowhere ones where the manager was glued to his small little television in the backroom and a no doubt moldy couch. The guy had been twitchy as is; hair a mess and glasses taped back together like someone had snapped them in half and he hadn't been able to afford to get them repaired.

She got the vibe of uber creepy.

Happy just muttered she watched too many movies. She scoffed right back, whether she did or not wasn't the point. This place screamed No Vacany eerie and as they pulled into the rundown space in front of the room, Rae was unsettled to say the least. Happy got one room, with one bed, grabbed their bags from the truck and lead her into the small, smelly room.

One look into the bathroom and Rae was grateful she'd packed flip flops. There was no way she was going to step into the shower without something on her feet. Happy dumped their bags onto the bed and then went to the window.

It felt weird being on the road with Hap at night; he was even quieter than normal, if that was possible and he was like a guard dog on constant alert. She'd never felt like tip toeing round him quite as much as she did tonight.

She gathered he wasn't going to be sleeping much - if at all tonight. He'd probably pull the one chair in the room up to the window and hover there with his guns and clean them a million times over.

It was going to be a long night.

"Hungry?" he grunted out as she unzipped her bag. She looked over to see him with his prepaid out. He glanced at her and nodded. "Pizza?"

He was tip toeing round her as much as she was him. "Yeah Hap pizza is fine. I'm gonna shower."

* * *

He hated this place as much as she detested it, Happy didn't like the manager. He was a shifty little weasel that deserved a bullet to the head for some of the shit he knew let slide round this place but he wasn't going to change his patterns just because he had Rae with him.

She could sleep while he watched the lot. He didn't doubt that if he took his eyes off his bike long it would get stolen.

Having Rae with him on this was incredibly awkward. He didn't bring women with him on runs. Kozik was enough of a woman to bring on runs. The guy needed to stop even more than Rae pestered him to. She was good though; cracked a joke or two every once in a while and otherwise kept her nose in her book and earphones in.

He was already caging himself in with the blasted truck but he wasn't going to let her drive herself. She'd turn round and hightail it back to Tacoma. Pulling the chair up to the window, he propped his feet up on the sill, holding the curtain back just enough as he dialed the local pizza joint about ten minutes down the road.

It was awkward. Rae was like a little sister; he'd carried her round as a toddler on his back, her arms clasped tightly round his neck and squealing as he'd spun her round for hours on end until he'd collapsed to the floor of his mother living room and she'd just bounced round him asking to go again.

He smiled a little at the memory; Robert had been doing time at that point. She'd been too little to understand and her mom had bailed out a few months before that. His mother had been the only woman Robert had trusted around the club that hadn't been a sweetbutt or old lady.

Happy knew that it had been that time spent with Rae that had kept them close; she followed after him like a little shadow. When he'd gone to boxing training, she was with him, sitting on the floor on the rusty old gym and cheering him on like a little cheerleader.

His mom had started getting sick round about that time and it was why Happy had been so attentive with her. He hadn't wanted her to stress over looking after a toddler who belonged to the club.

When her mom had bailed on them, Happy knew Robert would need the Sons. Happy was a young hang around even for normal standards but the Sons valued what he did. Family. He hadn't tattooed Robert's quote across his chest for no reason.

He valued family. Valued the women in his life next to his brothers above all. His mother and Rae mattered. Kozik, Lee, Donut, Bully, Lorca... They were his brothers. Clay and the boys were just the same. He'd die protecting his family and that's what mattered. That's what made him good at what he did.

He did what he was told when he was told. A good soldier knew not to ask questions.

When Rae had been seven he'd been patched into the club as a full member. She'd squealed when he'd walked through the door in his kutte with his top rocker. Robert had walked in behind him. By the time the older Son had been living with his mother on parole, Rae had determined that as the kid hadn't wanted to leave the house after being a resident for five years while the guy was locked up.

Girlfriends had been none existent. Happy had sweetbutts from his hang around days and up.

He shifted in his chair a little and rolled his head round to look at the bathroom door. Rae would make a good old lady for a Son one day but he doubted any Son would ever be able to control her. She didn't do as she was told unless she knew it was a no argument situation.

Thirteen years divided them.

He heard the door open and he glanced back out the window. He needed a shower.

* * *

Rae came out of the bathroom, jumping when she found Happy right in front of her. "Gonna take a shower, watch the window." She nodded as he strode past and slammed the door shut behind him. Rae sighed heavily and did what she was told. Taking up his seat, she sighed heavily and ran her hands through her damp hair.

Happy was hardly the kind of guy who talked about what was going on in his head. A knock on the door startled her and she grabbed one of Happy's guns from the table. It was cool in her hand and she took the safety off.

"Pizza!"

She turned to Happy's bag and grabbed his wallet, fishing out a twenty quickly. She pulled the chain latch free on the door and with the gun tucked out of sight behind the door she opened it and smiled at the guy standing there. "Hi, sorry bout the wait. Had to get my guys wallet. You can keep the change."

Keep it simply, keep it believable.

"No problem miss," he said back, smiling brightly at her. "Your guys ride the bike?"

She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "He's a big Harley enthusiast." Rae shoved the twenty at him and took the two pizza boxes. "Have a good night."

"You two and thanks for the tip."

Her stomach grumbled as the delicious smell of meat lovers pizza reached her nose. God, she could smother Happy with kisses. Dropping into the chair again, Rae sat watch on the lot. Hearing the door open to the bathroom Rae turned round and stopped suddenly.

For a guy of his age, Happy sure shouldn't have been allowed to walk around in only a towel. She'd seen him strut round in boxers before, that'd been happening since she'd been little. He came out with nothing but the towel slung low on his hips; muscles, tattoos and scars all out on display. It had never made her second look but oddly enough it was a sight she was familiar with. Happy had been a constant in her life.

He'd made sure she never got hung up on some guy who tried to promise her a life better outside of the club.

He'd given her her very first tattoo; the crow on her wrist was hardly anything insignificant. When her mother had skipped out when she'd been little and her father had taken to sweetbutts and not another old lady. Her mother had never taken the crow, she never wanted the club.

So at sixteen, when Happy was tattooing brothers for extra cash, she'd convinced Happy to give one. He'd designed the crow for her. It held an American and Mexican flag rolled in its talons; the American for her father, the Mexican for Happy.

She was hardly an old lady but she was the only female Happy was close to next to his mother. She knew it. Always had.

"Food come?"

His voice broke off her thoughts and she quickly glanced round at the window again. Hoping he hadn't caught her eyeing him off like some sweetbutt wanting attention. Christ, she didn't need to deal with an attraction to Happy. He was like her big brother for crying out loud.

"Ya-huh," she said, waving her hand in the direction of the two pizza boxes sitting on the bed wanting for her.

"Why you holding one of my guns?" he asked.

She glanced at the gun in her hand and then back at him. Big mistake. He was standing by the bed, rifling through his bag. Gods, she was gonna smack him if he didn't get clothes on.

"Jumpy, darlin'?"

She wanted to point the gun at him and play target practice. The way darlin' rolled off his tongue with that voice shouldn't have set her so on edge like it was.

"Kind of," she answered with a shrug. "Don't like this place. Didn't wanna take any chances why you were in the shower."

He chuckled and Rae set the gun back on the table by the others and returned to watching the window. She heard the rustling of clothes and the towel and was glad when he told her he'd take over. He'd covered himself with a singlet and boxers and socks. Happy and cold feet. She swore it was the funniest thing seeing him out of his kutte, trademark white shirt and baggy jeans.

He came forward, dropping one pizza box onto the table and she dived beneath his arm, earning another rare chuckle out of him as he took up residence in the chair and she crawled onto the bed. Sitting cross-legged in the center, she grabbed the television remote.

Popping the lid of her pizza box, she started flicking through the channels. They fell into a short of quiet lull. Happy kept watch while cleaning his guns. She loved watching him pull apart his guns and clean them. He was so focused on it and always so meticulous.

* * *

Come two in the morning Rae had collapsed. Happy had finished cleaning his guns an hour ago, nothing had moved on the lot and the minute two rolled round Happy opted for sleep. He wasn't going to roll into Charming come lunch with Rae driving shotgun and him dead asleep in the passengers seat.

Pushing himself out of the chair, he headed for the bed. Rae was sprawled out in the middle of the thing, curled up round one pillow and hair stretched out over her back. She was sleeping soundly. A good sign in his opinion. She was safe, felt safe even in this dump because he was watching over her. He pushed her hair back from her face and slipped his hands underneath her, curling his arms and pulling her across to one side of the bed more.

He tucked one gun beneath the pillow of the bed, another he set on the bedside table before flicking the lamps out and leaving the television going. He eased himself down on the bed alongside of her, eyes on the door as settled himself down.

Rae mumbled something in her sleep and Happy glanced round at her, smiling a little. She had always been a big talker when she was asleep. He'd picked up on it when she'd crawled into bed with him when she'd been little. She'd asked him to read a book to before she went back to sleep. He'd relented and read something on Hobbits; whatever the fuck they were but she'd loved it and he knew the book she was carrying with her was something to do with the same author of that book. Reading to her had become a nightly habit.

It had been that first night when he'd heard her talking in her sleep. She had mumbled something about wanting a red bike. Happy hadn't known what she was going on about but when he'd asked her she'd murmured something about wanting a red Harley like her dad's one day.

He'd said something along the lines of girls didn't ride and she'd always have a place on the back of his bike. He never wanted to see her riding a Harley of her own. They'd lost one old lady of the club when she'd made off with a Harley and lost it on the highway that very night. Happy hadn't cared, bitch wanted to leave - it was the only option she had. The Nomads would have grabbed her, dragged her ass back to her old man and he knew she wouldn't have walked out of that one in the end. It was a no brainer, they were tied to the club.

Rae's mother left but she had never taken an old lady mark and the club would never had let Robert mark her anyway. She had been colored. Happy didn't necessarily care; he was proud of being Hispanic and he knew Rae was proud of her mixed heritage despite the clubs old school views on skin color.

She was a nice blend of the two; smooth caramel skin, she dyed her hair blonde regularly and tamed the fizzy mess down hiding its natural dark brown, her eyes were a rich honey brown that always darkened when she got made or upset.

Watching her now he really couldn't see much of either of her folks in her aside from those things. She wasn't hard tempered like her father and she wasn't a runner like her mom.

Since she was little she had been raised among the club like it was her only family and it had stayed that way; Happy was patched in, her dad died for the club, her mom abandoned her.

Happy was going to make sure she always had a home with the Sons, no matter whether he moved charters or went Nomad. He would make sure she had a place.

* * *

At six Happy's prepaid was blasting out across the room from where he'd left it on the table by his cleaning kit. Rae heard it and woke first. She lifted her head from Happy's stomach, wondering when he'd ended up in bed alongside her before rubbing the sleep from her eyes and rolling over him.

He grunted, smacking her arm as she stumbled to her feet to grab the noisy fucker of a contraption. She snatched it up and tossed it at Happy. "It's Clay."

He muttered something as he sat up and swung his feet to the floor as she grabbed her bag and headed into the bathroom. He waited until she'd shut the door before answering. "Yeah?"

* * *

Rae came out ten minutes later dressed and packed and all geared up for the last couple of hours of the journey. "Think you can hold off on any breaks until we get to Charming?" Happy asked, already dressed and just slipping his kutte onto his shoulders.

"Sure," she said. "What's the matter?"

"Something came up. Lodi is Niner territory, Mayans occupy the southern district of the town. Something rattled their cages, Clay don't want us taking long through the area. I can detour round but it'll add an hour on. I'd rather do that and not risk getting pulled up or worse."

Rae knew what or worse meant and nodded. "Scenic route it is."

Happy gave her half a smirk.

* * *

Grabbing breakfast at McDonalds was less than Rae's idea. Happy wanted food and no matter how much she whined about him ruining her diet in under twenty-four hours and she threatened to tattoo Happy Meal on his ass the next time he was drunk and she could persuade him.

He had simply looked at her and Rae had burst out laughing. "Okay maybe I should just buy you one of those little Grumpy pop vinyl things I got Lee for Christmas instead? Or can be stamp grumpy across your forehead?"

She was pleased by the reaction of his hands tightening on the wheel.

"You seen what happened to the last little bobble head you gave me, girl?" he asked and she pouted, nodding.

"The poor thing, you're so mean to your toys. Might have to hide them at Mama's just to protect whatever toys I get you for your birthday," she mumbled and saw him give the barest smirk back.

"Mom hordes your gifts," he shot back and she smiled while looking over the back streets of Lodi.

"I know. It's why I get 'em for her. You know I always tell her they're from the both of us," she remarked after a few minutes of silence.

Happy grunted affirmative. He knew she did. It was what he liked about Rae. He didn't have the time to go looking for presents and he had always left it up to her. His mom's house was now cluttered with little bobble head toys, including the Big Bang Theory quartet of nerds which his mother apparently loved.

"On the way back we'll visit her," he said, despite not knowing when they would be heading back to Tacoma. He told Rae a week but he had runs Charming and the Nomad crews needed him on.

Rae's smile was wider than he'd seen it in the longest time.

* * *

Charming. Rae was in awe of the place as they came into the outer limits of the town. Happy had said it was quiet and the Sons kept the franchise's out of the place. He hadn't been lying. Stuffing her book back into her bag, she sat upright and watched everything past them by. He'd called ahead twenty minutes ago and let Clay know they were close.

The SAMCRO president had told him Gemma was gonna be there too and she'd gotten everything sorted for the girl to stay. Happy didn't quiet know whether that meant Gemma had cleaned a dorm room out for Rae or what but he'd have to wait and see.

Teller-Morrow garage came into view and he could feel Rae start to shrink back into her seat as they pulled into the lot.

Several bikes were lined up on one side of the lot. SAMCRO boys were all there. They were all sitting round the lot. A Sunday meant the yard was closed for regular business. Least he wouldn't have to wait two hours to get his bike off the back of the truck.

He killed the engine and glanced at Rae who was now clutching tightly at her duffel bag. "D-Day darlin'."

She grimaced at him, eyeing the group of bikers standing near their bikes along with a handful of women. Happy opened the door of the truck and the boys all started cheering. She drew in a deep breath and pushed open her door, leaving her duffel behind on the seat before slipping out of the truck and shutting the door.

She caught up to Happy's side and gave him a small smile as they approached the group who were SAMCRO.

Cheers came from them the moment Happy grasped forearms with an older man and she gathered it was Clay. She'd never seen any of them before to be completely fair. Charming charter rarely left their actual turf. Happy was embraced all round while she stood there like the most awkward person in the world. He'd let her know that Clay and Gemma were the only ones he'd told about the other night. She only hoped they hadn't told anyone else. She didn't want to spend her time here with everyone walking on eggshells round her.

Once Happy broke apart from a rather tall guy with broad shoulders and dark, curly hair he stepped back and pulled her forward.

"Since when do you roll into town with a girl and a truck?" Happy chuckled as all the boys laughed and she pushed his arm off, stepping up to Clay and holding her hand out. They didn't know what had gone down and she wasn't going to let herself get hooked up on that. Clay was eyeing her hand; his lips wrapped around a cigar and sunglasses hiding his eyes.

"Rae. Robert Cardiff's daughter."

Silence fell over everyone.

The air was tense and Happy put a hand against her lower back, digging his fingers into her baggy shirt. It wasn't a warning per say, she could step up and introduce herself. She wasn't a sweetbutt and she wasn't going to let them think Happy would always speak for her. Clay inclined his head. "Your old man was a good soldier, one of the best SAMCRO and SAMTAC had." She nodded. "Clay Morrow, president of SAMCRO. Welcome to Charming."


	4. Chapter 4

Rae was still standing before the SAMCRO charter, Happy at her side and her stomach still curled a little tight. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous still but when her eyes landed on an older woman with dark hair and large shades, Rae knew who was putting her stomach on edge.

The woman looked hard. This was Gemma Morrow. Rae wanted to swear at being thrown literally into the fire five seconds into stepping out of the truck but she part of her knew that getting all this over with here and now was better than letting anyone get a jump on her throughout her stay.

"Thanks for letting me stay," she said, eyes staying on the dark haired woman.

After a moment her lips curled ever so at the edges and Rae knew she'd done right in acknowledging her. "Club looks after their own little Cardiff." Her voice was rich and silky. She was oozing off so much feminine prowess. How did one woman manage to do that with barely a word spoken.

"Gem, come here." She stepped up alongside of Clay at that and he tucked her beneath his arm. This was the founding members former Old Lady? She had to have been gorgeous back in the day if she was so stunning now. "Rae Cardiff, Gemma Morrow."

Rae held her hand out to the woman, unsure of whether she'd actually take it. She was lucky - Gemma did. The woman grabbed her hand but didn't shake it. Instead she turned her wrist over. Rae did her best not to flinch and knew what the woman was eyeing off.

"Got yourself a crow little lady? But you're not SAMCRO based," she mused and she could feel Happy tensing up beside her a little.

"No, but dad patched SAMCRO back when he first joined. My mum was never his Old Lady, she never wanted the club side of dad. I got this done to remember him when I was sixteen," she answered truthfully. There was little point keeping it under the rug. Gemma glanced at Happy and she could see the gears turning over in the older woman's head at the representation of the Mexican flag in the tattoo but she thankfully handed her arm without any further questioning.

"Glad to see you look nothing like either of them," she said suddenly and Rae almost guffawed. The woman didn't beat round the bush did she.

"Uh- thanks, I think," she replied with. What could she say to that? Her dad hadn't been the most good looking guy and she couldn't remember much of her mum anymore except what perfume she was wearing the night she'd come in and murmured that she'd loved her before taking off.

Clay chuckled. "Gemma will show ya round the clubhouse. Boys, make her feel welcome." With that he pointed to each of the boys in turn. Guy with short hair and two very noticeable scars curving upwards on his mouth was Chibs; Bobby looked like a grizzly bear what with his belly and fizzy mop of hair; Juice was by far her favourite upon first glance, reminded her of a more open and young Happy and his smile was massive; Jax was the blonde with the cocky smile and she wasn't sure how to respond to the only other born into the life person she'd ever met and then there was him.

Tig Trager.

The name stuck straight away; Kozik's least favourite SAMCRO member. He was tall, broad shouldered with dark, curly hair and a large nose. Kozik didn't hold back much on his dislike of the SAMCRO Sgt. At Arms but Rae knew if she was here, she couldn't let Koz's grudge with a brother affect her stay. He would get over it and beside she hardly doubted the guy would give her much notice. The Prospects were adorable; fresh faced hang arounds hoping for a chance into a full patch; Wes, Lick and Yap.

She didn't even ask where they got their nicknames from, she had a feeling with Lick that the answer may make her stomach turn just by the way he was licking his lips every few seconds she glanced in their direction.

Happy broke the conversation by asking Chibs and Juice to help him get his bike off the back of the truck. Gemma told her to grab her stuff from the truck and she nodded, turning quickly and trailing after Happy.

* * *

A kid. Of all the things Happy would drive into Teller-Morrow with, he brought some dead brothers kid with him. Fuck she wasn't even anything great to look at. She wasn't wearing much make-up, her clothes looked like they were a guys hand me downs. "No need to tell the lot of ya to keep ya pricks in ya pants with that one?" Clay inquired and glanced specifically at Tig who scoffed.

"Ain't got nothing of interest worth second glancing at, brother," he shot back and the boys round them all chuckled.

Gemma nudged his side. "The girls cleaned out one of the spare dorm rooms for her."

"Thanks baby," he mumbled, kissing her before pulling away and shouting for everyone to get their asses back to whatever it was they were doing.

The Prospects all headed back for the ring, while it was quiet they were making good use of the ring and training. He'd give them this - they were some of the better Prospects they'd had over the years.

Bobby waddled back inside to no doubt go back into the kitchen and cook. Guy was turning into a fucking baker lately. Tig was still standing alongside of Clay as Gemma headed after the girl and Happy. Chibs and Juice followed.

"Why'd he bring her?" Tig asked and Clay glanced at him.

He patted him on the shoulder. "Some tough shit's been going down in Tacoma. He didn't want to leave the kid there while he was on runs the next few weeks for us." Clay had spoken to Gemma about what Happy had told them of.

Kid was handling the result pretty well; being round Happy had probably taught the girl a lot over the years. Clay had been the only SAMCRO member who'd know of the girl living in Tacoma alongside of Happy and his mother. It had been an unspoken agreement the day Robert had bit the bullet, so to speak.

Clay hadn't wanted to take her in back then. He'd had enough to deal with on his end with Jax. He wasn't even sure this was such a good idea now but Gemma had told him to do it. Had told him that it was better Happy had the girl here with him so his head would be focused while on runs and club business.

"Kozik ain't a good enough babysitter?" Tig jeered, eyes watching the way the girl hovered with Happy in the back of the truck while Chibs and Juice got the boards to prop onto the back of the truck.

She was smiling at Happy as he wrapped an arm about her head and ruffled her hair.

* * *

"Juice is a nerd underneath all that," he mumbled into her ear as he let her head go. Rae grinned at Happy. He was trying to give her someone to talk to. Juice was standing off to the side of the back of the truck, smiling up at them and Rae was amazed by how infectious his demeanor was.

"Thanks Hap," she whispered back before heaving herself down onto the cement and standing alongside of Juice. Her sides and legs were a little sore but otherwise she was feeler better than she'd expected. The meds were helping too. Numbing just enough that she could move round without giving away how much pain she was in.

Happy would kill her if he knew she was sore but Happy didn't raise her to give into every little inch of pain. She wasn't going to start now.

"So nerd?"

He glanced sidelong at her and chuckled while he watched Happy and Chibs get the bike down from the truck. "Intelligence Officer for SAMCRO. Hacker and yeah, a nerd," he relented in the end.

She nodded and dug into her bag, pulling out her issue of Captain America: Winter Soldier. He all but snatched it out of her hands in his eagerness to look at it closer. "Marvel fan too?"

"I like the old school ones more. Got a nice couple of old rare issues of Captain America," he said, opening the book and sticking his nose right into it. Well least she'd be able to get along with Juice. "So you're like a Son legacy right?"

Rae smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah, but I like being just Rae. Dad's been gone a while."

He nodded. "Thought Jax and Op were the only legacy's your age."

"Who is Op?"

Juice gave her a sad smile. "Opie Winston. His dad Piney was one of the original members. Piney's been living in the cabin the last few weeks and you won't see Opie. He's finishing a five year stint in lock-up."

Rae nodded and dug her hands into her pockets as she watched Happy straddle his bike and just sit there on it for a minute. Happy had done time over the years; not long stays in lock-up but enough for her to know she hated him gone.

"Juicy boy, let the lass go in and get settled. Gemma don't need to be waiting round for you two nerding out all day," Chibs called out to them and Rae glanced round to see Gemma watching them from near the club doors.

"Nice chatting, Juice," she said, waving and then heading off for the clubhouse. Redwood Original. Christ, it was so different to Tacoma. Stepping inside she was surprised to find it wasn't littered with passed out sweetbutts but actually really clean. Her eyes landed on one room in particular; the chapel.

The doors were open and she could see the large black studded leather sign reading Redwood Original and she could see the reaper craved into the large table. This had been her dad's home. It was so surreal.

Gemma didn't say much to her as she headed through the clubhouse and towards the back rooms. Dorms were found in every charter clubhouse. She knew that most of the boys lived more in the clubhouse than they did actual homes; kept their cash free and meant people couldn't target them outside of the club.

In the hall was an incredible old restored Harley. She stopped to eye it off. It was beautiful. "It was John's."

She glanced up to see the head Old Lady of SAMCRO watching her. Rae shouldered her bag a little better and then looked over the machine like it was some priceless artifact. "They restored it?"

Rae had heard about the death of John Teller, how the truck had dragged him and he'd managed to live for two days after. "Yeah. Tig and Clay did most of the work. Happy fixed the color up once it was done." She didn't reach out and touch it like she wanted to. Part of her knew it wasn't allowed. She turned to face the woman and smiled. "How you holding up after the other night?"

Her heart plummeted into her stomach. The woman was so straight forward she could give Happy a run for his money. She sighed and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Saying I'm fine ain't gonna cut it, is it?"

The woman gave her half a smirk. "No it ain't gonna cut it, little girl."

She nodded and lowered her gaze. "Painkillers are taken the edge off. My sides and legs are sore still. I'm dealing with it. Can't expect a miracle cure for it - much as I'd love to be able to wipe the whole ordeal right out of my head."

Silence followed. "Hap said you never got a look at 'em?"

"I didn't. Was leaning into the back of the truck when they grabbed me. Blindfold went on first," she answered, not bothering to hide the discomfort she felt at having to go back through the whole memory of it.

The woman nodded and then turned and started down the hall again. "Got the girls to clean out a room for ya; clean sheets, no smoke butts lying round, beer bottles all cleaned up and the smell of stale pussy is pretty much all cleaned out just keep the window open for as long as you can."

Rae's nose crinkled as she stepped into the room. Well it was clean but that smell wasn't nearly cleared out. The window open left the warm breeze of the first half of the afternoon roll in and Rae only just realized how warm it actually was round here. She was going to need to find some more light weather clothes. Maybe Gemma could direct to a place where she'd be able to find some?

Moving to the bed, she dropped her bag down onto it and sighed heavily as she stood over it. New home. It was felt so foreign knowing this place was going to be her home for the next week and a bit. She only hoped it was just a little over a week; the sooner she was back in Tacoma, the sooner she could deal with getting over her problems once and for all. Things could go back to how they were.

Gemma cleared her throat and she glanced up and round at the head Old Lady. "Thank you," she said, knowing she was probably being a little stupid. "For everything."

"We take care of our own."

Ah yes, SAMCRO's old saying. "We live, we die, we kill for our family. Dad use to tell me that every night before I'd go to sleep. Happy got something similar tattooed on him years back."

Gemma nodded after a moment. Rae knew what her dad had been for the club. Happy had been the only one to replace him after his death. Hitman; if someone had to disappear, they did and no tracks would be left. "That's right, darlin'. Family is everything. I'll leave you to get settled. Left a list of numbers on the bedside table to put into your phone."

Rae nodded and listened to the woman's boot heels click in her retreat down the hall.

* * *

Tig was sitting at the bar when she appeared later that evening. Happy was playing pool with Chibs and Juice. She was still wearing those god awful baggy clothes and he watched as she headed for the couch near the television and collapsed into it without a word to anyone; pulled her knees up to her chest and opened the book on her lap and started drawing.

She wasn't anything special. So what if she had been Robert's kid. The brother was dead and the mother had skipped out. The girl was hardly Old Lady material for any brother. She would always have her mother's stigmata hanging over her head and color.

The girl shouldn't been left in Tacoma. Surely the boys could have played babysitter for Happy. He took a sip of his beer.

Last thing SAMCRO needed was another girl lingering round the clubhouse and becoming an asset. He was gonna put Juice to good use tonight. Kid could dig up anything on anyone and he was going to make sure there was nothing, everyone remotely small, that would be able to put the club in any trouble.

* * *

Rae could feel the eyes on her. She had her headphones in and was trying her best to ignore it but whenever she glanced over at the pool table none of the guys were watching her. She glanced round towards the bar and found the SAMCRO Sgt. At Arms watching her. Her eyes turned back to her drawing and she buried herself further into the couch.

She'd sent Kozik a message earlier on about how to handle the guy but he'd told her to just watch her step round him. Yeah, Tig was going to drive her AWOL before the week was out if he kept watching her like she was some little criminal running round.

* * *

Happy didn't miss the way Tig watched Rae. He didn't miss the way Rae's spine stiffened or her brows furrow as she turned back towards them and hide deeper into the couch. Bad blood. It was the one thing Clay had warned Happy about when he'd told him he'd wanted to bring Rae to Charming and now he knew just who the bad blood was between.

Robert hadn't been the greatest of guys; his hard temper meant he stirred up a lot of dust in his wake but Tig was a pain in the ass enough when it came to his long standing grudge with Kozik over some dog from five years ago.

* * *

She was going to throw her pencil across the room any second. He was still staring. She wasn't wearing clothes designed to make her stick out to the boys, she'd opted for her baggy clothes to hide marks on her stomach and to keep the pressure off her belly for a little longer.

Keep your head down. Just keep your head down. She shifted on the couch until she was laying on her back and out of sight of the guy's gaze. Tig was unnerving to say the least. What could she possibly have done to earn such a reaction from him so early into her stay.

She'd have to ask Happy more about her dad's time here.

Great, dad you're mistakes and fuck-ups are following me to Charming. She skipped through her playlist, landed on the Cranberries and turned it up while continuing to sketch. Just keep yourself occupied and out of the guys ways and this stay will be over before you know it.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi guys, so I've stopped writing fanfiction for a while now - I do apologise to those who were hoping I would continue my stories in the fandoms but I decided to focus on my original content instead. 

In saying that - I am working on converting and updating my one-shots like this one into a new, clean, non-fandom piece. My writing has improved during my absence and as such I decided that I loved these works and wanted them as a way to silently remember all that fanfiction has taught me over the years.

A number of my base concepts in my larger works - such as Things We Owe with Nora's past and my gargoyle story in the I, Frankenstein fandom (My future Immortals series is on dragon shifters, werewolves, gargoyles, etc) and the like are going to appear in my future original works. I just wanted to let those who were waiting on updates of these know why I've been gone so long. 

I am sorry for those who have been waiting for updates it was never my original intention to completely abandon them but I just didn't have the time to work on them while studying, working and then trying to get other things written.

Love,  
Eileen Parry <3


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